Statement of support for independent journalist Ravi Nair

Nearly 40 campaign groups, individuals and media outlets have released a statement of total solidarity with independent investigative journalist Ravi Nair. He’s currently facing relentless harassment and attacks from the oligarchic Adani Group.

South Asia Solidarity Group, UK, International Solidarity for Academic Freedom in India (InSAF India), India Labour Solidarity UK, and South Asian Diaspora Action Collective (SADAC), Canada, issued the statement, along with nearly 35 other diasporic and international human rights groups.

The joint statement demands an immediate end to the harassment of Ravi Nair by Indian courts and police. It calls for the withdrawal of cases against him and an end to the misuse of criminal defamation and draconian laws to silence journalists and activists in India. And it demands protection of press freedom and free speech, and accountability and transparency in matters involving corporate-state relations.

The statement – Justice for Ravi Nair!

We, the undersigned groups, condemn the shrinking space for freedom of expression and press freedom in India. We stand in total solidarity with independent investigative journalist Ravi Nair who is currently facing relentless harassment and attacks from the Adani Group.

On 11 February 2026, Nair was sentenced to a year’s imprisonment for his posts on X that allegedly suggest the “political patronage”, “financial irregularities” and “unethical conduct” of Adani Enterprises, the flagship firm of the Adani Group. Nair’s lawyer argued that the posts and comments were based on publicly available material and constitute fair comment and criticism.

CPJ Asia Program Coordinator Kunal Majumder noted:

The conviction of journalist Ravi Nair for criminal defamation sets a dangerous precedent for press freedom and free speech in India. Laws that allow imprisonment for defamation stifle public interest reporting and deter scrutiny of powerful actors. The Indian government must ensure these provisions are not used to prevent legitimate journalism.

With this case pending appeal, the Adani Group, acting through the Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd, has brought another case against Nair. This time it centres round his social media posts about an article he co-wrote in the Washington Post alleging that the government of India directed the Life Insurance Corporation, an Indian publicly funded organisation, to invest in the Adani group. An Ahmedabad Court quashed Nair’s appeal against the FIR (First Information Report). This was followed by a raid on Nair’s home by Gujarat Police, accompanied by their Delhi counterparts. They seized two of his phones, his son’s laptop, and the laptop and iPad of a colleague who happened to be at the house and who is not an accused in the case. The police refused to provide a hash value for the items taken away. Without a hash value, it is impossible to know whether a device has been tampered with after seizure.

Clearly journalism is a crime in today’s India, with free speech and freedom of expression increasingly under attack since 2014. India’s ranking in the World Press Freedom Index has steadily worsened, with a rank of 140 out of 180 countries in 2013 down to 157 in 2026.

A number of draconian laws are being employed to thwart fundamental freedoms. Additionally, street vigilantes have been emboldened to carry out attacks on journalists reporting on and exposing Hindu supremacist fascism (Hindutva) or reporting on corporate crimes.

The harassment of Ravi Nair is occurring against a background of challenges to legitimate reporting and commentary about the Adani Group. In September 2025, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry used a court order to remove a couple of hundred YouTube videos and instagram posts about the Group (Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)).

According to the Free Speech Collective’s latest findings, India saw over 300 violations of free speech in the first quarter of 2025, from murdered journalists to banned films.

The restriction on free speech comes from a government whose ministers and other elected officials spew hate speech in the public sphere with impunity.

In the fascist corporate-aligned state that India is today, journalists like Ravi Nair are being punished for reporting injustices and speaking truth to power.

We call upon the Indian diaspora across the globe, civil society and workers’ organisations, journalists, activists and all conscientious people to stand against state repression and the impunity of corporate billionaires like Adani.

We demand an immediate end to the harassment of Ravi Nair by the courts and police and the withdrawal of cases against him. We also demand an end to the misuse of criminal defamation and draconian laws to silence journalists and activists; the protection of press freedom and free speech; and accountability and transparency in matters involving corporate-state relations.

Justice for Ravi Nair! Journalism is not a crime!

Signatories

• South Asia Solidarity Group, UK.
• International Solidarity for Academic Freedom in India (InSAF India).
• India Labour Solidarity, UK.
• Diaspora in Action for Human Rights and Democracy, The Netherlands.
• United Kingdom-Indian Muslim Council (UK-IMC).
• Hindus for Human Rights UK.
• 12ummah.com.
• Justice For All Canada.
• Hindus for Human Rights USA.
• The Humanism Project Australia.
• South Asian Diaspora Action Collective (SADAC), Canada.
• Culture Unstained, UK.
• The Canary, UK.
• Indian Alliance Paris.
• Hindus for Human Rights ANZ.
• Fossil Free Science Museum, UK.
• Indus Legacy.
• Extinction Rebellion Global.
• Boston South Asian Coalition.
• CERAS (Centre sur l’asie du sud), Canada.
• Canadian Forum for Human Rights and Democracy in India (CFHRDI).
• London Mining Network, UK.
• Turbine Bagh, UK.
• Prof Saibaba Study Circle, UK.
• Canadian Foreign Policy Institute.
• Just Peace Advocates/Mouvement Pour Une Paix Juste, Canada.
• The Canadian BDS Coalition and International BDS Allies.
• Fighty fighters, UK.
• United Front UK.
• Progressive South Asian Society, UK.
• Azaad Brussels.
• Inquilabi NL, The Netherlands.
• Secours Rouge Toulouse.
• Anti-Imperialist Front.
• Critical Diasporic South Asian Feminisms Collective, Canada.
• Collective of Socialist Republicans, UK.
• Solidarity Screenings Glasgow.
• Red Clyde, UK.
• Young Struggle.

Featured image via the Canary

By The Canary

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